A Clever Scheme: Akashi's Grand Plan.
(Note: This is Chapter 5 of The Forgotten and the Banished Arc.) Toshio and Akashi stand ready now aware of the Adjuchas hiding in the forest... "An Adjuchas? Where?" Akashi asked. "Get down!" Toshio pushed him to the ground as the mass game flying by again before retracting. "What the hell is that?" Akashi asked. "A tongue," Toshio answered. "A tongue?" "Yes," Toshio sighed, "from the adjuchas." "I figured that much but where is the damn thing?" "At the point of origin of the tongue I would suppose." "Yeah, but I don't see anything," Akashi said in frustration. "Shuffle," ''the blade burst into a cloud of cards circling around them. "I do it's there, but it's cloaking itse- Down!" As Toshio finished speaking the tongue lashed out and he ducked , but Akashi simply raised his hand and the cards formed a wall. "Gotcha," Akashi said proudly. Just as the smirk crossed his face, it was wiped off. The cards were disappearing at the point of contact, and the wall burst as the tongue punched through. It pulled back into the distant shadows of the forest. "What the hell?" "It's absorbing spirit particles," Toshio said his eye focused on the Monocle which had images of what just happened flashing across it with numbers and symbols flashing all around. " That creatures tongue is capable of reducing whatever it touches to spirit particles which it then absorbs. I'm assuming that is what it did to the menos and I would venture to guess that the reason the monster is cloaked with the exception of its tongue is that the tongue absorbs the energy field that creates the concealing effects around the rest of its body." "But we need to get to its body, and you said to follow the tongue, ''Cut," his blade reformed. "Waterfall!" his blade extended in the direction from which the tongue came. He retracted the blade, "Nothing, but how can that be?" "It isn't there. It seems that it teleported, give me a moment," he rested his left hand on the hilt of his blade ready to draw and fight. His right hand rested on the side of the monocle. He turned quickly, drawing the blade and pointing to their right, "he's there, no there, he keeps moving! I can barely keep up with him." "Shuffle!" the cards scattered in all directions, stopping in various points. "I've filled the surrounding area with cards, if he moves I'll be able to do something." A movement happens behind him and he pointed in its direction, and an explosion went off. A movement to his left, and another explosion. The angered groans of the beast could be heard in the distance suddenly the explosions stopped. "Hm?" Just then a force slammed into him, knocking him through several trees. "You," growled the grainy angry voice. "Are you the one who's been killing my meals?" Akashi felt his body lifted up in a clawed hand, "Well I guess, you'll have to do." "Hado 33: Sokatsui!" ''The hollow was struck by a wave of energy and he dropped Akashi. He awoke as he landed, quickly righting himself and running off to Toshio's side. "Thanks for that," Akashi looked at the hollow. He was tall and scaly with a horned mask with boney eyes that swiveled independently of one another. "Why can I see him?" "The attack upset the field of spirit energy he uses to cause light to pass around him," Toshio answered as the monster shook off the hit which apparently caught him in the head based on where his claw like hands were grasping as he disappeared. "Those explosions didn't really affect him, but that attack gave him quite the time. The field he generates to protect against light must also dampen or even stop concussive force." "So a direct blade strike won't get him, eh?" Akashi seemed to think deeply for a moment. Quickly he stood up "I've got it! Can you do upper level Hado techniques? Maybe a more advanced version of what you just did?" "Sure but I could only use Hado 63 if I called out the full incantation, and I wouldn't be able to repeat it quickly. It's a very taxing skill." Toshio answered. "That's fine. You'll only need one shot." Akashi answered, "Your zanpakto makes you able to process and analyze things with incredible speed and accuracy, right? So can you tell me how he does that?" "He generates a separate invisibility field else where and connects them through a separate space," Toshio answered. "It's something like a wormhole." "Okay, when I send a card your way you'll know to start the incantation, fire when ready." "Are you sure this will work?" Toshio asked. "Even with this attack he won't die." "Quit counting cards and trust me," Akashi said holding out his hand the cards gathered bring his fallen hilt with them. He grasped the hilt as the blade reformed at the command, "''Cut! Now just be ready and keep a line of site on that tree I hit when he punched me." He held his blade up and pointing it to the sky he said, "Ban-kai!" "Bankai?" Toshio was almost knocked over as he shielded himself from the wave of energy. As the explosive power receded he caught a glimpse of Akashi's Bankai state just before he disappeared. "Come on out you nasty lizard," Akashi cried, "Where are you did a little attack like that scare you off?" "Gya!" the tongue lashed out at him, but the ribbons around Akashi's torso flew out to deflect the attack. Upon contact they started to disappear more cards immediately replacing them. The tongue retracted. "You're spirit energy is delicious shinigami, I'll enjoy devouring you!" "I don't think so, Shuffle," the blade broke into an immense cloud that dispersed across the forest thickly filling the available space. "I hope you don't think the same technique will be more effective now that you've released your bankai. I still can't be harmed by such attacks." The chameleon-like hollow growled in the darkness. "Who said it was an attack? Flush!" The cards began to glow so bright it was almost impossible to look directly at any of them. "Now you're stuck." "Stuck? Never, I'll just, I'll- What?" Toshio looked on amazed at what was happening. "His bankai creates enough cards to blanket the area all around us even above us." He watched as small pockets of energy opened and closed in the spaces between the cards. "The hollow is trying to teleport, but he can't open a second field large enough to move into... brilliant. This Flush technique is generating so much spirit energy through the cards that every time the adjuchas tries to open a teleportation field, the energy suppresses it." "Come on out! Quit being such a coward you beast," Akashi antagonized. "You speak so boldly, soul reaper," the voice growled. "As if you've already won." Toshio watched on seeing both the monster and Akashi. He knew that this plan required him to draw no attention to himself hidden among the brightly glowing sea of cards. Suddenly a card flew up to him, a jack. Its smiling face winked and flew off. Toshio immediately recognized it for what it was and raised his hands and reciting the incantation as the monster bared down on Akashi: "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh..." The monster teleported to the only space it could, the clearing where Akashi was standing.'' He wrapped onto a tree and was slowly climbing his way down toward Akashi. ''"All creation, flutter of wings..." As the beast reached the base of the tree lowered himself silently behind Akashi. As he rose to his full invisible height, he pulled his head back preparing to lash his tongue out. "Ye who bears the name of Man!..." Just as he opened his mouth, Akashi turned toward him, "There you are!" He pointed his hand at the nearly invisible beast. "On the wall of blue flame..." The rope of cards around his arm grabbed the already flying tongue wrapping around it. "Inscribe a twin lotus..." Akashi pulled him down to the ground leaping over him and holding out his other hands ribbons flying. "In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens..." The ropes of cards wrapped around his limbs and neck pulling him up to his feet. "Hado 63: Siren Sokatsui!" The beast saw the twin blue flashes in the distance and struggled, Akashi held him until he couldn't wait any longer to move, and he flash stepped away. He witnessed the immense beams of energy come crashing down on the hollow, and smiled, "Gotcha. Wh-?" Toshio's Satoru had readings flying across its display as it witnessed the blast racing along. Right as he was about to release his hands from the attack, he sensed it. "It's hit something and it's not the hollow." He peered through the monocle of his Zanpakto, the blast faded and he saw the hollow manipulating the force field. "He's focused it to his front, and strengthened the barrier. Damn. Now what?" Previous Chapter: Kiyoshi Rescued! The Card Shark and Card Counter Team Up! Next Chapter: The Final Attack Blocked? Will the Hollow Fall?